The Independent Center for Integrative Education: Learning without Limits

The name of the Workshop reflects the idea that the world is not naturally divided into subjects and fields such as physics, chemistry, art, math, sociology, etc. Natural Philosophers, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin, all available tools to study all kinds of phenomena. The Workshop is based on an imaginary adventure, the Mars Expedition. To organize and execute such an expedition, the Workshop participants will apply (and learn) engineering to design the space ship and the Mars base; sociology, economics, politics, and biology to organize life in the colony; and much more. At all times, references to literature, philosophy, and science fiction naturally pop up as "food for thoughts." We rely on such activities as facilitated discussions, role play, and Internet research among others.

Integrative Science Seminars, NJ 2010-2011

The goal of the series of seminars is to introduce children to basic concepts, terminology, and typical approaches to problems solved by the various branches of science, including physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy, with emphasis on their interaction with each other. The seminars will be united by a project complex enough to require various analytical tools provided by different sciences. There will be numerous educational games and role playing. The participants will have an opportunity to exercise their problem solving, cooperation, and presentation skills. There will be no required initial level in science and math. Adults are welcome to be present and/or participate.

NASA Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge, NJ 2010-2011

NASA wants us to help prepare for a future Moon base by designing a simulated system to recycle and reuse water on the Moon. The Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge (WLMR DC) is a great opportunity for middle school level teams (grades 5-8) to participate in real science and engineering projects. The winning team will receive an all-expense paid trip to the NASA Kennedy Space Center and more.

Archaeological Excavation Camp, NJ September 26-29, 2011

The geography, culture, prehistory and history of the First Nations in the Northeast USA is filled with significance for those who can appreciate it. Archaeology offers a unique perspective on the successive phases of Native American life and it is the goal of the camp to make this persective manifest to children in a safe, exciting, fun project where the toil of labor are rewarded by the fruits of understanding. A site from Mount Desert Island, off the Acadian coast of Maine, provides the material for our exploration of the past. At this site, the convergence of Native American lore, mythology, culture with history, data and objects occupied the diggers through three days of excavation. Maps were made, photographs taken, and notes written in an attempt to discover what meaning can be teased out of the objects in their respective contexts. On the final day, a pot-luck feast on a Native American theme vied and an exhibit of the children's finds shown, in which children explained what they had found, what they thought it means, and why they thought so.